Hybrid sensor pixel architecture with threshold response

ABSTRACT

A pixel circuit construction for image sensing includes a photosensor, an amplifier, a selector switch and, and a reset switch. The amplifier may be a single polycrystalline silicon (channel) transistor for high gain. The selector switch may also be a single polycrystalline silicon (channel) transistor for high conductivity. The reset switch may a single amorphous crystalline silicon (channel) transistor for low leakage current. The photosensor and amplifier may be connected to a shared bias line or may be connected to separate bias and drive lines, respectively. The selector and reset switches may be connected to a shared data line or may be connected to separate data and reset lines, respectively. Laser crystallization and rehydrogenation techniques are well suited to obtaining devices described herein. Threshold response is provided.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates generally to the field of sensors, andmore particularly to an improved pixel architecture with increasedsignal to noise ratio and with threshold response.

Two-dimensional large-area sensor arrays have wide ranging applicationsin medical imaging, optical scanning, chemical or radiation detection,temperature sensing, and other arts. Such sensors comprise a grid ofpixels, with each pixel composed of at least a sensor device and one ormore transistors comprising a circuit for converting sensory data (suchas optical images, x-ray images with or without the assistance of ascintillation layer, chemical presence, temperature, etc.) to electricalsignals (typically data used for processing, storing, driving a displayor an alarm, etc.) The sensor is generally a reverse biased diode, andthe transistor(s) is generally a thin-film field effect transistor(TFT). Conveniently, each of the components of the pixel may be formedof hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si) to take advantage of the easeof fabrication of large area arrays, low leakage current devices, andother benefits of using this amorphous material. (A component will bereferred to herein as being formed of a-Si when at least one layer ofthe component is formed of said material. For example, as used herein,an a-Si TFT refers to a thin film transistor having an amorphous siliconchannel layer.)

It should be clear from the above that the sensors of the type relevantto the present invention are designed to sense one or more of a varietyof sensory data (e.g., light, radiation, chemical, thermal, etc.). Animportant subset of this group of sensors is comprised of sensorsoptimized to sense image data. While the discussions herein are broadlyapplicable to sensory data, the following discussion will focus on imagedata for clarity of explanation.

It is known that a critical parameter of an array of image sensors isthe signal to noise ratio of the array. Namely, a reduction of noise ascompared to signal is generally desirable. Signal amplifiers aretypically employed to boost sensed signals for downstream use. It iscommon practice to connect an entire row of image sensors to a singleamplifier. There are numerous advantages to this architecture, includingminimizing the number of contacts to the array, maximizing the fillfactor (defined as the fraction of the area of the array sensitive tothe incident image), etc.

However, the noise in such an architecture is related to both thereadout noise due to the large capacitance of the long data line, andthe pixel noise which is a function of the pixel architecture itself andwhich is amplified together with the signal itself. For example, thethermal noise of the readout amplifier is proportional to thecapacitance on the input of the amplifier.

Accordingly, it has been suggested that each pixel be provided with itsown amplifier circuitry. In copending U.S. patent application Ser. No.08/699,875, to Street et al. (referred to herein as "Street et al, nowU.S. Pat. No. 5,831,258."), a pixel circuit and array incorporating sucha circuit is disclosed. Typically, such a circuit consists of aphotosensor with inherent capacitance for storing a charge underreversed bias conditions. The stored charge is depleted by lightincidence. Determining the intensity of the incident light isaccomplished by examining the remaining charge in the photosensor. Thephotosensor may be connected in reverse bias mode between a data lineand a bias line. The photosensor is connected to a transistor ortransistors such that the voltage through the transistor(s), between thebias line and the data line, is a function of the amount of lightincident upon the photosensor. This structure is referred to as anamplified pixel.

In addition to increasing the signal to noise ratio, it is also aperennial goal in the image sensor art to provide increased resolutionfrom sensor arrays. For example, a pixel having an area on the order of(150 μm)², as taught by Street et al., corresponds to a resolution ofapproximately 170 dpi, and qualifies as a low resolution sensor bycurrent measures.

It is generally understood that reducing pixel area is a means ofincreasing resolution. However, there are several penalties generallypaid when pixel area is reduced. The first is that the area of thephotosensor is reduced. This results in a decrease in sensitivity of thephotosensor. The second is that one or more of the dimensions of thepixel transistors are reduced. In the case of an amplified pixel, thisruns the risk of reducing gain below an acceptable threshold. Forexample, in the case of a single transistor amplifier, an a-Si TFT witha ratio of channel width (W) to channel length (L) of 4 provides adesired gain of approximately 10. A reduction in the width to lengthratio (W/L), however, results in a reduction in gain. The combination ofcurrent process limitations leading to a minimum device dimension of L≧5μm for a-Si devices, combined with the low carrier mobility of a-Si,means that a channel of 5 μm×20 μm is as small as current technologywill permit while providing adequate gain. However, there is a desire toovercome this barrier and produce smaller pixels for increasedresolution.

It will be appreciated that there are two parameters of a sensor circuitat odds with the desire to reduce pixel size. The first is the desire tomaximize the sensitivity of the pixel. This can be accomplished byincreasing the physical size of the photosensor part of the circuit, butat the cost of increasing the entire pixel size. Rather than increasingpixel size, it is common in the art to increase the area of the celldedicated to the photosensor, referred to as the fill factor. As betweentwo sensor pixels who differ only in photosensor area, the one with thelarger photosensor area (greater fill factor) will generally providebetter sensitivity. However, for a given pixel size, generally thelarger the area occupied by transistor(s), the smaller the areaavailable for the photosensor. Given the lower limit on transistor size,a tradeoff must therefore be made between resolution and sensitivity.

The second parameter at odds with the desire to reduce pixel size is thecomplexity of the circuit. A minimal circuit requires a photosensor anda selector switch (e.g., a transistor). However, this circuit does notaddress the need to do any amplification or in situ signal processing,etc. While the added circuitry is desirable from a pixel performanceperspective, it undesirably consumes pixel area (and reduces yield). Atradeoff must thus be made between pixel size or fill factor and circuitcomplexity.

SUMMARY

The present invention is a novel pixel circuit construction whichovercomes the limitations of the prior art. The present inventionprovides the ability to fabricate sensor pixels which provide therequired gain with channel dimensions less than 5 μm×20 μm. Likewise,the present invention allows increasing the fill factor for a given sizepixel by reducing the transistor dimensions, without sacrificing gain.Increased levels of pixel circuit complexity may be employed whileminimizing the added size of the pixel and/or maximizing the fillfactor, without sacrificing signal gain. The present invention is basedon the understanding that polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) providesimproved carrier mobility as compared to a-Si. By fabricating selectedones of the transistors comprising the pixel circuit of poly-Si, whilefabricating other transistors of the circuit of a-Si, transistor sizemay be reduced while also maintaining an acceptable gain and otherproperties of the circuit. (As used herein, a device having a least onelayer formed of polycrystalline silicon will be referred to herein as apoly-Si device, such as a poly-Si TFT.) A circuit containing bothpoly-Si and a-Si devices according to the present invention is referredto herein as a hybrid circuit.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a bias line and adata line are connected via first and second thin film transistors(TFTs). The gate of the first TFT is connected to a reverse biasedphotosensor in such a way that the conductivity of the first TFT is afunction of the charge state of the photosensor. The first TFT isreferred to as an amplifier transistor. The gate of the second TFT isconnected to a gate line such that the conductivity of the second TFT isa function of the voltage on the gate line. The second TFT is referredto as a pass transistor. A third TFT is connected to the photosensorsuch that the conductivity of the third TFT is capable of resetting thephotosensor. The third TFT is referred to as a reset transistor.

It is known that an a-Si TFT has a lower off state current than anequivalent polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) TFT. This is importantwhere there is a desire to minimize leakage current, for example in thereset transistor. Conversely, a poly-Si TFT provides improved carriermobility as compared to an equivalent a-Si TFT. This is important, forexample, where gain through a transistor is a concern, such as in thepass and amplifier TFTs. Thus, a hybrid circuit is employed to takeadvantage of the two different types of TFTs.

The pass and amplifier TFTs may be fabricated to be poly-Si to alsoallow a reduction in their channel sizes while maintaining acceptablegain. They may conveniently be formed by recrystallizing a-Si, but otherprocesses may be used.

The reset TFT may be fabricated to be a-Si since the low off-statecurrent afforded by a-Si TFTs minimizes leakage from the photosensorbetween resets. As leakage current is assumed to vary from pixel topixel in the array, regardless of the type (a-Si or poly-Si) of resettransistor employed, the a-Si reset TFT will also reduce the variationin leakage levels from pixel to pixel (referred to as fixed patternnoise). This advantage provided by the a-Si reset transistor isdifficult to match by software or other external devices, since fixedpattern noise depends in part on the charge signal on the sensor, andthus will vary from pixel to pixel.

One embodiment disclosed herein for producing the hybrid circuit is aprocess referred to as recrystallization. According to thisrecrystallization process, regions of a-Si are dehydrogenated, partlymelted, and crystallized upon resolidification. A laser beam at variousenergies may perform the dehydrogenation and melting. An optical maskmay be used to limit the areas exposed to the laser beam. A plasmahydrogenation process may be employed to compensate for thedehydrogenation caused by the laser crystallization.

Special circuitry may be provided for synchronizing gate and drive linevoltages to further reduce leakage current. Special circuitry may alsobe employed to obtain a more linear circuit output. Also, one variationof the circuit disclosed herein may be used for single event detection,such as peak detection for x-ray scattering and the like.

Thus, the present invention and its various embodiments provide numerousadvantages including, but not limited to, reduced pixel area consumed bypixel circuitry, improved pixel amplifier gain, improved sensor fillfactor, reduced sensor level loss, reduced fixed pattern noise, improvedsignal to noise ratio, etc., as will be described in further detailbelow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete appreciation of the invention and many of the attendantadvantages thereof will be readily obtained and understood by referringto the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings inwhich like reference numerals denote like elements as between thevarious drawings. The drawings, briefly described below, are not toscale.

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a circuit according to oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of one embodiment of the present invention,showing various layers of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a cross-section, cut-away view of a portion of the embodimentshown in FIG. 2 labeled F3--F3.

FIG. 4 is a cross-section, cut-away view of a portion of the embodimentshown in FIG. 2 labeled F4--F4.

FIG. 5 is a cross-section, cut-away view of a portion of the embodimentshown in FIG. 2 labeled F5--F5.

FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration of a portion of an array according toone embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a plot of voltage versus current for a TFT, illustrating thelinearity of driving the TFT at V_(DD) of -10 volts.

FIG. 8 is a schematic illustration of a portion of an array according toanother embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a circuit according to an embodiment of the present inventionwhich provides reduced leakage current by synchronizing the gate voltageand a drive voltage.

FIG. 10 shows another embodiment of the present invention which providesseparate data lines and reset lines.

FIG. 11 is a timing chart showing the state of certain lines at varioustimes in a circuit according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a timing chart showing the state of certain lines at varioustimes in a circuit according to another embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 13 is a transfer function for a circuit of the type shown in FIG.1.

FIG. 14 shows a schematic illustration of a differential pair amplifierembodiment of the present invention employed to address the problem ofnonlinear response.

FIG. 15 shows a transfer function for the circuit of FIG. 14.

FIG. 16 shows a schematic illustration of a circuit providing singleevent sensing according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 shows a transfer function for the circuit of FIG. 16.

FIG. 18 shows a schematic illustration of a circuit providing singleevent sensing according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 shows a transfer function for the circuit of FIG. 18.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, numeric ranges are provided forvarious aspects of the embodiments described, such as transistor channellength and width, material deposition parameters, device performancecharacteristics, etc. These recited ranges are to be treated as examplesonly, and are not intended to limit the scope of the claims hereof. Inaddition, a number of materials are identified as suitable for variousfacets of the embodiments, such as for substrates, metalinterconnections, etc. These recited materials are also to be treated asexemplary, and are not intended to limit the scope of the claims hereof.

The crystalline state of devices described below (e.g., noncrystallineor amorphous, polycrystalline, etc.) is referred to as the structuralstate. A converted first structural state is a structural statedifferent from a first structural state brought about by converting thefirst structural state. For example, a first structural state may beamorphous, and a converted first structural state may bypolycrystalline, converted from amorphous by a thermal process. Asanother example, the first structural state may be polycrystalline, anda converted first structural state may be amorphous converted frompolycrystalline by implantation.

Basic Hybrid Pixel Amplifier Circuit

One embodiment of a hybrid pixel circuit 10 according to the presentinvention is shown in FIG. 1. Circuit 10 consists of a two-terminalphotosensor 12 (e.g., a photodiode) which has an inherent capacitanceC_(s), which stores a charge under reverse bias. Photosensor 12 isconnected in reverse bias mode between a data terminal 22, which may beconnected to a data line (Data), and a bias voltage terminal 14, whichmay be connected to a bias line (V_(Bias)), at for example a biasvoltage of -5 volts. The source of a first transistor 16, which isreferred to herein as an amplifier transistor, is also connected to thebias voltage terminal 14. The gate of amplifier transistor 16 isconnected to a first terminal of photosensor 12. The drain of amplifiertransistor 16 is also connected to the source of a second transistor 18which is referred to herein as a pass transistor. The gate of passtransistor 18 is connected to a gate terminal 20, which may for examplebe connected to a gate line (G_(n)), and the drain of pass transistor 18is connected to data terminal 22. The source of a third transistor 24,referred to herein as a reset transistor, is connected to the firstterminal of photosensor 12. The gate of reset transistor 24 is connectedto a gate terminal 26, which may for example be connected to a gate line(G_(n+1)). The drain of third transistor 24 is connected to dataterminal 22.

Photosensor 12 may be an n-i-p amorphous silicon photosensor, where "n"refers to an n-doped layer and "p" refers to a p-doped layer, with eachlayer on the order of 10 to 100 nanometers (nm) thick. The "i" refers tointrinsic or undoped amorphous silicon material on the order of one totwo microns (μm) thick. In reverse bias mode, the p-doped region ofphotosensor 12 will be connected to bias voltage terminal 14. Othertypes of sensors, such as selenium or lead iodide, in the case of anx-ray image apparatus, may alternatively be employed. It should also beappreciated that sensors other than photosensors may be employed. Forexample, temperature sensors, chemical sensors, and the like are wellknown in the art. Thus, as used herein, "sensor" means a device whoseelectrical charge state (e.g., the level of charge stored therein) is afunction of the presence or absence of a selected quantity being sensed.This general class of sensors is within the scope of this disclosure.

Circuit 10 operates as follows. An initial charge is established byturning on, then off, the reset TFT. Light incident on photosensor 12results in a partial discharge of the pixel capacitor; the amount ofdischarge being proportional to the amount of light incident uponphotosensor 12. The charge then stored in photosensor 12 is applied tothe gate of the amplifier transistor 16, which determines the currentbetween the source and drain of amplifier transistor 16. When gate lineG_(n) is selected (that is, when a voltage is applied thereto), avoltage is applied to the gate of pass transistor 18, rendering itconductive between its source and drain. With both the amplifier andpass transistors 16 and 18 conductive, a voltage from the bias line isapplied to data terminal 22, which may be sensed by circuitry monitoringthe data line. This structure is referred to as an amplified pixel.

In an amplified pixel, the level of current applied to data terminal 22is thus a function of the charge on photosensor 12. For this process toyield accurate results, however, the charge stored by photosensor 12must be reset prior to the sensing/readout cycle. This is the functionof reset transistor 24. By connecting the gate of reset transistor 24 togate line G_(n+1), during the readout cycle of the next pixel, resettransistor 24 is made conductive between source and drain. This allows arecharging of the current in photosensor 12. The pixel is thereby"reset" and ready for the next sensing/read out cycle.

According to the present invention, amplifier and pass transistors 16and 18 are advantageously formed of poly-Si, thus optimizing gain fromthe circuit. Reset transistor 24 is advantageously formed of a-Si, thusminimizing leakage current from the photosensor 12 .

Shown in plan view in FIG. 2 is one embodiment of the present invention.In the view of FIG. 2 (and other views presented herein), several layershave not been shown to allow for a more clear illustration of thepresent invention. Those layers not shown, such as insulation, contact,phosphor or scintillation layer, and the like are well known to thoseskilled in the art, but will be described as they pertain to the presentinvention. According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, a circuit 30forms one cell in an array of cells designed for image sensing. In thecoordinate system of FIG. 2, circuit 30 is bordered to its left by gateline G_(n) and to its right by gate line G_(n+1). The pitch of the cellsin such an array is, for example, between 100 and 500 μm.

At its bottom edge, circuit 30 is bordered by a bias line labeled Biasand a data line labeled Data. Circuit 30 consists of a photosensor 32,with an upper sensor contact 74 and a lower sensor contact 81, shown incross section and described further below with regard to FIG. 5.

A first transistor (amplifier transistor) 40 is formed having a gatecontact 42, a source contact 44, and a drain contact 46 in variouslayers as shown and described further with regard to FIG. 3. A first via64 is formed to allow electrical interconnection between source contact44, the bias line, and the upper sensor contact 74. A second via 66 isformed to allow electrical interconnection between gate contact 42 andlower sensor contact 81.

A second transistor (pass transistor) 48 is formed having a gate contact50, a source contact 52, and a drain contact 54 in various layers asshown and described further with regard to FIG. 4. A third transistor(reset transistor) 56 is formed having a gate contact 58, a sourcecontact 60, and a drain contact 62 in various layers as shown anddescribed further with regard to FIG. 5.

With reference now to FIG. 3, there is shown therein a portion of thecircuit 30 in cross section, seen in the direction of the arrows F3--F3in FIG. 2. The substrate 72 on which the circuit may be formed may beceramic, glass, or other material known in the art. Formed first onsubstrate 72 is gate metal 42. Gate metal 42 forms the gate electrode offirst transistor 40. Over gate metal 42 is formed an insulation layer82, which may be a single layer of material such as SiN, or be comprisedof multiple sublayers, for example SiN and SiO₂ as taught by U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 08/096,313, which is incorporated herein byreference.

Channel layer 85 is next deposited over insulation layer 82. Channellayer 85 is initially composed of a-Si but the region 84 of amplifiertransistor 40 will undergo a crystallization process described furtherbelow. Following crystallization, oxide dielectric layer 86 is nextapplied over the structure. An absorption layer 88 is next applied aboveoxide dielectric layer 86. The role of absorption layer 88 is tocompensate for the different transparencies between aSi and poly-Siduring a subsequent backside lithography step described below.Absorption layer 88 may be formed of a-Si, or other suitable material. Amore complete discussion of the method of using the absorption layer,and the structures resulting therefrom, may be found in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 09/067,880 filed Apr. 28, 1998, 09/069,943 filedApr. 28, 1998, and 09/069,055 filed Apr. 28, 1998 (attorney docketnumbers D/98004, D/98004Q, and D/98004Q1, respectively), each of whichbeing incorporated herein by reference. At this point, backsidelithography may be employed to define oxide dielectric layer 86, usingthe gate electrode 42 as a mask. Thus, the width of the oxide dielectriclayer 86 is roughly the same as the width of the gate electrode 42.

Next formed is electrode layer 90, which may be comprised of, forexample, n+doped a-Si. A metal contact layer 93 is next formed overelectrode layer 90. A gap 94 is formed dividing at least the absorptionlayer 88, electrode layer 90, and metal contact layer 93 in the regionof amplifier transistor 40 into electrically isolated first and secondregions, with a conduction path therebetween through channel layer 85.Source contact 44 and drain contact 46 are thus formed. A transistorchannel 96 may then be formed in the channel layer 85 during operationof the transistor 40. In the present case, transistor 40 is a thin filmtransistor having a poly-Si channel layer (and is therefore referred toas a poly-Si TFT).

A first passivation layer 95 is next formed, and second passivationlayer 97 formed thereover. At this point, via 64 may be formed in thepassivation layers 95 and 97. Bias line metal 83 is next applied (so asto fully overlay gate metal 42 in order to shield the electrode fromillumination). A portion 92 of bias metal 83 located in via 64 forms anelectrically conductive connection with metal contact layer 93. Atransparent conductive layer 98, such as indium tin oxide (ITO) is nextformed, such that is in electrical communication with bias metal 83.

While not shown in cross section, via 66 is also formed to makeelectrical connection between lower sensor contact 81 and gate metal 42.Upper sensor contact 74 is connected to the bias line at via 64.

With reference now to FIG. 4, there is shown in cross section a portionof circuit 30 seen in the direction of the arrows F4--F4 of FIG. 2.Formed on substrate 72 is gate metal 50, which forms the gate electrodeof pass transistor 48. Gate metal 50 may be formed in a common series ofsteps with gate metal 42, patterned to form appropriately sized andlocated structures. Over gate metal 50 is formed insulation layer 82.Channel layer 85 is formed over insulation layer 82. Again, channellayer 85 is initially composed of a-Si but, in the region 99 of passtransistor 48, it will undergo a crystallization process describedfurther below.

Dielectric layer 86 and absorption layer 88 are the next layers of thestructure. Electrode layer 90 lies thereover, and contact metal layer 93overlies electrode layer 90.

Gap 104 divides at least the absorption layer 88, electrode layer 90,and contact metal layer 93 in the region of pass transistor 48 intoelectrically isolated first and second regions, with a conduction paththerebetween through channel layer 85. Source contact 52 and draincontact 54 are thus formed. A transistor channel 106 may then be formedin the channel layer 85 during operation of the transistor 48. First andsecond passivation layers 95, 97 are the next layers, and bias metal 83is located atop second passivation layer 97. In the present case,transistor 48 is a thin film transistor having a poly-Si channel layer(and is therefore referred to as a poly-Si TFT).

With reference to FIG. 5, there is shown therein a portion of circuit 30seen in the direction of arrows F5--F5 of FIG. 2. Formed on substrate 72is gate metal 58, which forms the gate electrode of reset transistor 56.Over gate metal 58 is insulation layer 82. The next layer is channellayer 85. Again, channel layer 85 is deposited as a-Si. However, unlikethe channel layer in the regions 84 and 99 of transistors 40 and 48,respectively, the region 87 of the channel layer in the region oftransistor 56 is not crystallized, but instead remains a-Si.

Nitride dielectric layer 110 is the next layer in the structure. Sincethe region 87 of channel layer 85 is a-Si, a nitride is better suitedfor the interface layer than the oxide used over the poly-Si channelregions of transistors 40 and 48. The aforementioned oxide dielectriclayer 86 is the next layer.

No absorption layer 88 is employed in the region of transistor 56 (incontrast to transistors 40 and 48). That is because a-Si, such as thatcomprising region 87 of the channel layer 85, is less transparent thanpoly-Si, such as that comprising regions 84 and 99 of the channel layer85. Since the absorption layer 88 is used to compensate for thedifference in transparency, it is not needed in region 87 of transistor56.

Electrode layer 90 is the next layer of the structure, and contact metallayer 93 overlays electrode layer 90. A gap 114 divides at least theelectrode layer 90 and contact metal layer 93 in the region of resettransistor 56 into electrically isolated first and second regions, witha conduction path therebetween through channel layer 85. Source contact60 and drain contact 62 are thus formed. A channel 116 may then beformed in the channel layer 85 during operation of the transistor 56. Inthe present case, transistor 56 is a thin film transistor having an a-Sichannel layer (and is therefore referred to as an a-Si TFT).

First passivation layer 95 is the next layer in the structure. Anopening is defined in region 120 of the structure thus formed, exposinga portion of metal contact layer 93. Formed over and in electricalcommunication with metal contact layer 93 is n+doped a-Si layer 76,which may for example be on the order of several hundred angstroms (Å)thick. Above layer 76 is an intrinsic a-Si layer 78 which may be on theorder of 0.1 microns or thicker. Above layer 78 is an p+doped a-Si layer80 which may be on the order of several hundred angstroms thick. Formednext is second passivation layer 97, and an opening formed therein toexpose a region of p+doped a-Si layer 80. Bias line metal 83 is the nextcomponent of the structure, and overlies second passivation layer 97.Upper sensor contact 74, made of a light transparent, conductivematerial such as indium tin oxide (ITO) next covers the structure suchthat bias line metal 83 and p+doped a-Si layer 80 are in electricalcommunication with one another. A scintillation layer (not shown) may bedisposed above upper contact 74 to assist in the detection of certaintypes of radiation such as x-ray, etc.

As mentioned above, the channel layer 85 in the region of amplifiertransistor 40 and pass transistor 48 (regions 84 and 99) is selectivelyconverted from a-Si to poly-Si. That is, regions 84 and 99 start off ina first structural state (e.g., amorphous) and through an appropriateprocess end in a converted first structural state (e.g.,polycrystalline). A process for accomplishing this conversion, andresulting structures, are each described in the aforementioned andincorporated U.S. patent applications aa/aaa,aaa, bb/bbb,bbb, andcc/ccc,ccc (attorney docket numbers D/98004, D/98004Q, and D/98004Q1,respectively). These incorporated references describe methods forobtaining structures, and the resulting structures having an a-Si and apoly-Si device formed on a shared substrate and located close to oneanother.

An exemplary process of selective silicon crystallization startsfollowing the deposition of the a-Si layer over a dielectric layer. Anitride layer is first deposited, then removed except over regions ofthe channel layer which are to remain a-Si. Next, an oxide insulationlayer is deposited. The aforementioned a-Si absorption layer is appliedover the oxide layer, over regions of the channel layer which are to becrystallized. The thickness of this a-Si compensation layer is selectedto optimize absorption of the ultra violet (UV) radiation used in aback-side lithography process employed to form a conductive region, suchas a channel, of the device being fabricated. The back-side lithographyis then performed, and a doped or intrinsic silicon layer is appliedover the structure. If the silicon is intrinsic, doping is thenperformed to obtain the desired structure. Gaps and contact metal arethen formed to complete the device.

In addition, prior to crystallization, a layer of blocking material suchas titanium tungsten (TiW) alloy is formed over the region in whichchannel layer is to remain a-Si. This TiW layer, together with thenitride layer, serves as an optical mask to protect the region fromlaser crystallization. Following the laser crystallization, the TiWlayer is removed.

The structure is also rehydrogenated to compensate for thedehydrogenation during the laser crystallization. The nitride layer overthe region which is to become the a-Si device serves to protect the a-Silayer from the hydrogenation process. Processing then continues aspreviously described.

Thus, with reference again to FIG. 1, amplifier transistor 16 and passtransistor 18 will be poly-Si TFTs, thus taking advantage of the highermobility (and thus improved transconductance and gain) of poly-Si overa-Si, while reset transistor 24 will be an a-Si TFT, thus takingadvantage of the low off-state (hence leakage) current of a-Si. In anarray of such circuits, the overall lower leakage current from the a-Sireset TFTs (as compared to poly-Si TFTs) keeps to a minimum the fixedpattern noise.

Shown in FIG. 6 is a portion of an array 130 employing circuits of thetype described above, according to one embodiment of the presentinvention. Array 130 consists of a number of circuits, each comprising apixel 132, 134, 136, etc. Pixel 132 is representative of each of thepixels in array 130. Pixel 132 consists of photosensor 138 connected toa bias line V_(bias), which may be held at, for example, -5 volts.Photosensor 138 is also connected to the gate of poly-Si amplifiertransistor 140, and the source of a-Si reset transistor 142. The sourceof poly-Si amplifier transistor 140 is connected to a drive line V_(DD),which may be held at, for example, -10 volts. The drain of poly-Siamplifier transistor 140 is connected to the source of poly-Si passtransistor 144. The drains of a-Si reset transistor 142 and poly-Si passtransistor 144 are connected to a data line labeled Data. The gate ofpoly-Si pass transistor 144 is connected to a gate line labeled G_(n).The gate of a-Si reset transistor 142 is connected to a gate linelabeled G_(n+1).

The circuits of pixels 132, 134, 136, etc. of array 130 differ fromcircuit 10 shown in FIG. 1 in that separate lines V_(bias) and V_(DD)are employed. The number of lines per pixel could be reduced by sharinga single line between the functions of V_(bias) and V_(DD) as shown inFIG. 1. However, while -5 volts may be an optimal bias for thephotosensor 138, a lower voltage provides better linearity for thepoly-Si amplifier transistor 140 shown in FIG. 6. Thus, a separateV_(DD) at, e.g., -10 volts may be employed. Shown in FIG. 7 is asimulation of an amplifier transistor with dimensions of W=15 μm andL=12 μm. With V_(DD) set at -10 volts, both current gain and linearityare improved compared to a V_(DD) of -5 volts.

The effective charge gain is estimated as follows. The maximum currentchange between 0 and -5 volts on the photosensor 138 is about 20 μA. Tomake a fair comparison, the readout time should be 5RC, which is thereadout time for a conventional pixel, where R is the on-resistance foran a-Si TFT and C is the sensor capacitance. Using typical values of Rfor an a-Si TFT at 1 MΩ and C at 1 pF, the readout time is about 5*(1MΩ)*(1 pF), or 5 μsec. The integrated charge readout during this timeis, using a pixel amplifier:

Q=l*Δt=(20 μA)*(5 μsec)=100 pC. The maximum charge on the sensor is:

Q=C*V=(1 pF)*(5V)=5 pC. Therefore, the effective charge gain is 20,which represents a significant improvement in signal-to-noise ratio ascompared to a gain of 1 for a simple pixel circuit. In practice, thegain of the array can be adjusted, by varying the readout time,according to each individual image light intensity, providing a properimaging dynamic range in an adaptive manner.

Shown in FIG. 8 is an array 150 according to another embodiment of thepresent invention. Array 150 consists of a number of circuits, eachcomprising a pixel 152, 154, etc. The circuits are essentially the sameas those described above with regard to FIG. 6, with the followingdifference. While in the array 130 of FIG. 6, the reset transistor 142and the pass transistor 144 of each pixel was connected to a common dataline, the array 150 of FIG. 8 has the reset transistor 142 of each pixelconnected to a reset line separate from the data line to which the passtransistor 144 of each pixel is connected.

Pixel Circuit For Synchronizing Gate And Drive Lines

By synchronizing the voltage of the drive line with the gate line (thatis, applying a drive voltage only at a time when the gate line enablesthe pixel circuit to read data onto the data line), the effects of anyleakage of the amplifier transistor (and pass transistor) may beminimized. While there are many circuit arrangements for accomplishingthis synchronization, each of which being within the scope of thepresent disclosure, shown in FIG. 9 is one example of a pixel circuit160 including a bias circuit at the pixel level for synchronization ofthe drive voltage and a gate line voltage V_(G). While the basic circuitis similar to that previously described, two lines V₁ and V₂ replace thepreviously described V_(DD) line. A first synchronizing transistor 162is connected such that its source is connected to V₁. The gate of firstsynchronizing transistor 162 is connected to a gate line, such as G_(n).Its drain is connected to the source of a second synchronizingtransistor 164. The gate and drain of second synchronizing transistor164 are connected to V₂. Transistors 162 and 164 are each TFTs, withconductive channel layers most conveniently formed of poly-Si. Line V₂is held at 0 volts and line V₁ is held at -10 volts, for example.

FIG. 10 illustrates a circuit 166 which is a variation of the embodimentof the embodiment shown in FIG. 9. As shown in FIG. 10, the charge forresetting the photosensor 138 is obtained on a reset line labeled Reset,as opposed to using the data line for this purpose.

In operation, when a voltage is applied to G_(n) the pass transistor 144is on so the data in the pixel may be read out. At the same time,transistor 162 is conductive, which brings the voltage at node X to avoltage level close to V₂. This is voltage drives the amplifiertransistor 140. When a low voltage is applied to G_(n) pass transistor144 is off. At the same time, transistor 162 is resistive, which bringsthe voltage at node X closer to V₁. Under these conditions, the voltagedifference between the source and drain of pass transistor 144 is small.Therefore, the leakage current through pass transistor 144 is small.

The timing diagrams of FIGS. 11 and 12 correspond to the two embodimentsshown in FIGS. 9 and 10, respectively. With regard to FIG. 11, it willbe noted that each gate has a specific on-time, t₂, t₄, etc. At thestart of each gate on-time the data line is provided with a charge forresetting the photosensor capacitance of the immediately precedingpixel. After the photosensor has been recharged, the data line isallowed to settle, for a time t_(s), and the resulting current level isinversely proportional to the light incident on the photosensor. Sincecharge is applied to the data line to reset the previous pixel'sphotosensor for a known period of time (reset time), the data line isobserved after this reset time (i.e., in an appropriate read-out window)to determine the photosensor charge. In order to speed up the read-outprocess, the charge for resetting the photosensors may be provided on aseparate reset line.

With regard to FIG. 12, where a separate reset line is employed, thegate on-times may be reduced, since the data line is used solely forreceiving data from the photosensors. This is illustrated by thenarrower gate times in FIG. 12 as compared to FIG. 11. That is, t₁ '<t₁,t₂ '<t₂, etc.

It may also be seen from FIGS. 11 and 12 that the drive voltage (V_(x),being the voltage at a node X) is synchronized with the gate addressingsuch that when the gate line is high the drive voltage is low. Byproviding the drive voltage only when reading out a pixel, the fixedpattern noise that results from leakage current through the poly-Siamplifier transistor and poly-Si pass transistor is eliminated. Thissynchronization may be accomplished by (1) externally addressing V_(DD)synchronized with the gate addressing, (2) building peripheral biascircuits for each column of V_(DD), or (3) building a bias circuit atthe pixel level.

Circuit For Improved Linear Response Of Amplifier

Several modifications to the circuits described above may be employed toobtain improved pixel amplification circuitry for amorphous siliconimaging sensor arrays. In the simplest amplification circuit, such asthat shown in, and described with reference to, FIG. 1, the amplifier isa transistor configured as a common source amplifier, with its gate tiedto the photosensor, its source at a voltage that is more negative thanthe sensor reset voltage, and its drain tied to the source of the passtransistor whose drain is connected to the data line. One difficultywith a common source amplifier of this type is that its output currentis a nonlinear function of its gate-to-source voltage V_(gs). Inparticular, for n-channel field effect transistors (FETs) operatingbelow threshold, the drain-source current I_(ds) is exponential as afunction of V_(gs), while for n-channel FETs operating above threshold,I_(ds) is proportional to the quantity [V_(gs) -V_(threshold) ]². Asimple transfer function for a circuit of the type shown in FIG. 1 isshown in FIG. 13.

In practice, a p-i-n photosensor exhibits gain and offset variation.These variations may be corrected after readout by a two point (linear)correction known in the art. When an element with linear variation isamplified by an element with an exponential or quadratic transferfunction, the resulting distortion takes the form of a power lawvariation across the array. Power law variations are more difficult tocorrect after readout, as a three-point (spline) or more generallookup-table computations are needed. The cost of these computations maybe prohibitive for modest to high readout rates using conventionaldigital hardware. Further, a power-law variation may introduce anartificially high dynamic range in the output signal. If the signal isto be digitized, this may add cost, since in order to preserve thesignal-to-noise ratio, the analog-to-digital converter must haveincreased bit depth. For example, a 14-bit ADC may be needed tofaithfully obtain a signal that has a true 12-bit signal-to-noise ratio.Hence, there may be a need in some applications to largely preserve thelinearity of the photosensor signal.

A hybrid pixel amplifier with a differential pair amplifier may beemployed to address the problem of nonlinearity. An example of such acircuit 170 is shown in FIG. 14. This circuit may replace thecommon-source circuit 10 of FIG. 1. In addition to the photosensor 12,amplifier transistor 16, the poly-Si pass transistor 18, and the a-Sireset transistor 24, circuit 170 includes bias transistor 174 andreference transistor 176. Furthermore, in place of a single bias line,circuit 170 includes a bias line V_(bias) and a reference voltage lineV_(ref). As an example, V_(bias) may be at -5 volts and V_(ref) may beat 0 volts. The source of bias transistor 174 is tied to a voltage morenegative than the sensor reset voltage, and its gate is tied to a globalbias voltage. The drain of bias transistor 174 is connected to thesource of reference transistor 176, each of which in turn beingconnected to the source of amplifier transistor 16. The gate ofreference transistor 176 is tied to V_(ref), which is at a voltage thatlies between the voltage at which photosensor 12 is reset and thevoltage that corresponds to the highest expected photosensor voltageafter exposure to photons. The drain of reference transistor 176 is tiedto a convenient positive system voltage. Each of bias transistor 174 andreference transistor 176 may be TFTs with poly-Si channel layers.

The net effect of this arrangement is that rather than sinking sourcecurrent for amplifier transistor 16 through a power supply, as is thecase for the single transistor common source amplifier of FIG. 1,amplifier transistor 16 sinks its current through bias transistor 174 incompetition with reference transistor 176. An S-shaped hyperbolictangent transfer function results, shown in FIG. 15. With the gatevoltage of the bias transistor 174 represented as V_(g) (bias), and thegate voltage of the reference transistor 176 represented as V_(g) (ref),the voltage difference [V_(g) (amp)-V_(g) (ref)] is the abscissa in FIG.15, and I_(out) through the amplifier transistor 16 is the ordinate inFIG. 15. The point at which [V_(g) (amp)-V_(g) (ref)]=[V_(sensor)-V_(ref) ]≈0, where V_(sensor) is the photosensor voltage, is referredto as the point of current balance. In the region around currentbalance, the transfer function is nearly linear.

Circuit For Single-Event Response Pixel Amplification

With reference now to FIGS. 16 through 18, there is shown therein twohybrid pixel amplifier circuits, and their respective transferfunctions, which may be employed in single-event measuring, counting orother response, such as X-ray scattering measurement, or otherapplications with defined, punctuated illumination of an array. Suchdetection could be carried out via continuous-level (gray scale) readoutof the array followed by digitization and threshold computation.However, the cost of the hardware required for readout at suchrelatively high precision may be excessive. Hence, improvements in thepixel circuitry have been developed to adapt the a-SI array technologydescribed above suitable for this application. For such detection at thepixel level, two elements are needed within each pixel: a thresholdelement and a high-gain amplification element.

The circuit 180 illustrated in FIG. 16 is similar to the differentialpair circuit 170 shown in FIG. 14. In circuit 180, the poly-Si passtransistor 18 and the a-Si reset transistor 24 are essentially aspreviously described. The source of bias transistor 184 is tied to avoltage more negative than the sensor reset voltage, and its gate istied to a global bias voltage. The drain of bias transistor 184 isconnected to the source of a threshold transistor 186 and to the sourceof amplifier transistor 16. The drain of threshold transistor 186 istied to a convenient positive system voltage. The gate of thresholdtransistor 186 is tied to a voltage θ that lies between the voltage atwhich photosensor is reset and the voltage that corresponds to thehighest expected photosensor voltage after exposure to photons. Forexample, the reset voltage may be 0 volts, the maximum voltage may be +5volts, and the source voltage of bias transistor 184 may be -5 volts. Inthis case, the voltage θ should lie in the range of 0 to +5 volts. Thephotosensor voltage is read out on the data line only when the voltageat the photosensor (V_(p)) is greater than θ. The transfer function forthis circuit is S-shaped, as before, and is shown in FIG. 17.

A second embodiment of a single-event response hybrid amplifier circuit190 is shown in FIG. 18. This embodiment is referred to as a modifiedinverter threshold amplifier. As compared with the previously describedcircuits, amplifier transistor 194 in this case is a common sourcetransistor amplifier of a first polarity type, such as an n-type fieldeffect (nFET). a-Si reset transistor 24 is as previously described. Aninverter transistor 196 is connected such that its gate is connected toa voltage θ, and its drain is connected to the drain of invertertransistor 194 and the source of poly-Si pass transistor 18. Invertertransistor 196 is a common source transistor amplifier of a secondpolarity type opposite the first polarity type, such as a p-type fieldeffect (pFET). The source of amplifier transistor 194 is connected tothe most negative voltage in the circuit, which also serves as thesensor bias voltage. The source of inverter transistor 196 is aconvenient positive voltage. The circuit passes threshold when thesensor voltage (Vs), with respect to the source voltage of amplifiertransistor 194, exceeds θ (i.e., at the gate of the inverter transistor196), with respect to the source voltage of the inverter transistor 196.In this case, the output voltage drops to equal the source voltage ofthe amplifier transistor 194. With V_(SD) (194) and V_(SD) (196) as thesource to drain voltages of transistors 194 and 196 respectively, belowthreshold, [Vs-V_(SD) (194)]<[V_(SD) (196)-θ], and the output voltagerises to the source voltage of the inverter transistor 196, henceproviding an inverted threshold output. The transfer function for thiscircuit is an inverted S-shape, and is shown in FIG. 19.

It will be appreciated that the foregoing description is intended to beillustrative. Variations and modifications of the descriptions providedherein will present themselves to those skilled in the art. For example,the focus of the descriptions herein have been on circuits includingtransistors of various types. However, other components such asresistors, capacitors, etc. may also be formed in circuits of the typedescribed herein for reasons advantageous to a specific implementation.As a further example, the bias, threshold, and inverter transistorsdescribed above may be formed within or without each pixel, and may beformed on a shared substrate with the amplifier, reset, and passtransistors (e.g., within each pixel or at the array periphery), or maybe formed on a separate substrate and attached as external circuitry.Such choices depend of the particular application to which the presentinvention is being addressed. Accordingly, the present descriptionshould not be read as limiting the scope of the claims except and unlessindicated to the contrary.

What is claimed is:
 1. In a circuit for converting sensory data to anelectrical signal, of the type including a sensor, an amplifierconnected such that an output of said sensor controls said amplifier,and a sensor reset connected to the sensor for selectively resetting acharge state of said sensor, an improvement comprising:said sensor resetincluding a reset transistor, said reset transistor having a channelregion formed of a conductive material having a first structural state;said amplifier including an amplifier transistor, said amplifiertransistor having a channel region formed of a conductive materialhaving a converted first structural state, said amplifier transistor andsaid reset transistor being formed on a shared substrate; and athreshold circuit which applies a selected bias voltage to saidamplifier transistor only at a time when said sensor charge state isabove a preset threshold.
 2. The improved circuit of claim 1, whereinsaid circuit further comprises a gate line, and said threshold circuitcomprises:a bias transistor having a gate contact in electricalcommunication with a bias line, a drain contact in electricalcommunication with a source contact of said amplifier transistor, and asource contact; and a threshold transistor having a gate contact inelectrical communication with a threshold line, a source contact inelectrical communication with said drain contact of said bias transistorand said source contact of said amplifier transistor, and a draincontact; said source contact of said bias transistor being tied to avoltage more negative than said reset voltage; and said threshold linebeing tied to a voltage being between said reset voltage and a peakvoltage equal to the highest voltage at said sensor following sensing ofsensory data thereby.
 3. The improved circuit of claim 2, wherein saidthreshold circuit is formed on said shared substrate.
 4. In a circuitfor converting sensory data to an electrical signal, of the typeincluding a sensor, an amplifier connected such that an output of saidsensor controls said amplifier, and a sensor reset connected to thesensor for selectively resetting a charge state of said sensor, animprovement comprising:said sensor reset including a reset transistor,said reset transistor having a channel region formed of a conductivematerial having a first structural state; said amplifier including anamplifier transistor, said amplifier transistor having a channel regionformed of a conductive material having a converted first structuralstate, said amplifier transistor and said reset transistor being formedon a shared substrate; and a threshold circuit which applies a selectedbias voltage to said amplifier transistor only at a time when saidsensor charge state is below a preset threshold.
 5. The improved circuitof claim 4, wherein said circuit further comprises a gate line, and saidthreshold circuit comprises:a bias transistor having a gate contact inelectrical communication with a bias line, a drain contact in electricalcommunication with a source contact of said amplifier transistor, and asource contact; and a threshold transistor having a gate contact inelectrical communication with a threshold line, a source contact inelectrical communication with said drain contact of said bias transistorand said source contact of said amplifier transistor, and a draincontact; said source contact of said bias transistor being tied to avoltage more negative than said reset voltage; and said threshold linebeing tied to a voltage being between said reset voltage and a peakvoltage equal to the highest voltage at said sensor following sensing ofsensory data thereby.
 6. The improved circuit of claim 5, wherein saidthreshold circuit is formed on said shared substrate.
 7. A circuit forsensing the incidence of sensory data at a selected threshold, and forconverting the sensed sensory data into an electrical signal,comprising:a sensor having first and second contacts, said sensor havinga reset voltage at which said sensor is reset, and a peak voltage equalto the highest voltage at said sensor following sensing of sensory datathereby; a sensor reset transistor having a channel region formed of aconductive material having a first structural state, a gate contact inelectrical communication with a first gate line, and a source contact inelectrical communication with a first contact of said sensor; anamplifier transistor having a channel region formed of a conductivematerial having a converted first structural state, a gate contact inelectrical communication with said first contact of said sensor and saidsource contact of said sensor reset transistor, and a source contact,said amplifier transistor and said sensor reset transistor being formedon a shared substrate; a bias transistor having a gate contact inelectrical communication with a bias line, a drain contact in electricalcommunication with said source contact of said amplifier transistor, anda source contact; and a threshold transistor having a gate contact inelectrical communication with a threshold line, a source contact inelectrical communication with said drain contact of said bias transistorand said source contact of said amplifier transistor, and a draincontact; said source contact of said bias transistor being tied to avoltage more negative than said reset voltage; and said threshold linebeing tied to a voltage being between said reset voltage and said peakvoltage.
 8. The circuit of claim 7, wherein said bias transistor andsaid threshold transistor are formed on said shared substrate.
 9. Thecircuit of claim 7, further including a pass transistor having source,gate, and drain contacts, and wherein the source contact of said passtransistor is in electrical communication with a drain contact of saidamplifier transistor, wherein the gate contact of said pass transistoris in electrical communication with a second gate line, and wherein thedrain contact of said pass transistor is in electrical communicationwith a data line.
 10. The circuit of claim 7 wherein said conductivematerial having a first structural state is amorphous silicon, and saidconductive material having a converted first structural state ispolycrystalline silicon.
 11. The circuit of claim 8, wherein said passtransistor, bias transistor, and threshold transistor each have achannel region formed of polycrystalline silicon.
 12. The circuit ofclaim 9, wherein said sensor reset transistor has a drain contact inelectrical communication with said data line.
 13. The circuit of claim9, wherein said sensor reset transistor has a drain contact inelectrical communication with a reset line.
 14. An array of circuits forconverting sensory data to electrical signals, each circuit in saidarray of the type claimed in claim
 7. 15. A circuit for sensing theincidence of sensory data at a selected threshold, and for convertingthe sensed sensory data into an electrical signal, comprising:a sensorhaving first and second contacts, said sensor having a bias voltage, anda peak voltage equal to the highest voltage at said sensor followingsensing of sensory data thereby; a sensor reset transistor having achannel region formed of a conductive material having a first structuralstate, a gate contact in electrical communication with a first gateline, and a source contact in electrical communication with a firstcontact of said sensor; an amplifier transistor having a channel regionformed of a conductive material having a converted first structuralstate, a gate contact in electrical communication with said firstcontact of said sensor and said source contact of said sensor resettransistor, a source contact, and a drain contact, said amplifiertransistor and said sensor reset transistor being formed on a sharedsubstrate, said amplifier transistor having a first polarity type; aninverter transistor having a gate contact in electrical communicationwith a threshold line, a drain contact in electrical communication withsaid drain contact of said amplifier transistor, and a source contact,said inverter transistor having a second polarity type opposite saidfirst polarity type; and said source contact of said amplifiertransistor being tied to a said bias voltage; and said threshold linebeing tied to a voltage being between said bias voltage and said peakvoltage.
 16. The circuit of claim 15 wherein said amplifier transistoris an n-type field effect transistor and said inverter transistor is ap-type field effect transistor.
 17. The circuit of claim 15, whereinsaid inverter transistor is formed on said shared substrate.
 18. Thecircuit of claim 15, further including a pass transistor having source,gate, and drain contacts, and wherein the source contact of said passtransistor is in electrical communication with a drain contact of saidamplifier transistor and said drain contact of said inverter transistor,wherein the gate contact of said pass transistor is in electricalcommunication with a second gate line, and wherein the drain contact ofsaid pass transistor is in electrical communication with a data line.19. The circuit of claim 15 wherein said conductive material having afirst structural state is amorphous silicon, and said conductivematerial having a converted first structural state is polycrystallinesilicon.
 20. The circuit of claim 18, wherein said pass transistor andsaid inverter transistor each have a channel region formed ofpolycrystalline silicon.
 21. The circuit of claim 18, wherein saidsensor reset transistor has a drain contact in electrical communicationwith said data line.
 22. The circuit of claim 18, wherein said sensorreset transistor has a drain contact in electrical communication with areset line.
 23. An array of circuits for converting sensory data toelectrical signals, each circuit in said array of the type claimed inclaim 15.